On-loan Swansea midfielder is much happier under the sacked Italian manager's replacement Gus Poyet and is planning a relegation great escape

But World Cup-bound South Korea midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng wondered what he’d let himself in for by joining crisis-hit Sunderland on loan from Swansea last summer.

Classy Ki is the man charged with passing Poyet’s men to safety from relegation over the coming months, and they can take a massive step towards a miracle escape with a win over Southampton on Saturday.

The fact he can now look back at the dark days adrift at the bottom, with Paolo Di Canio being sacked, shows there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“Yes, there were times I wondered what I had got myself into,” said Ki. “But that wasn’t just me. Everyone was the same. There were managers changing and we just could not get a result. It was a tough time for everyone.

“But when Gus came, the way he tried to play helped the boys to improve straight away. I like the way we play. It is not just long balls, but much more about keeping the ball.

“I can play to my strengths: Keeping the ball, passing the ball and helping the strikers. I have even shown that I can score myself! A lot of that is down to Gus. He looks after the team very well. He loves playing football which means tactically he is very organised and smart.

“Personally, he is very kind and honest. I like him and enjoy working with him a lot. If there is a problem, he will talk to you as a person. He does not cheat or lie. I like that.”

With a Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday, Ki added: “The boys have confidence but we have a long way to go.

“It has taken an awfully long time just to get out of last position but if we can win a couple, we could get as high as 15th which would be massive.”